Open water swim venues are like buses: wait long enough and three come along together! OK, well perhaps that's stretching it a bit but whereas West London used to have just one venue it now has three and each of them is trying to appeal to the market in its own way.

Old boy is Heron Lake, just off J13 of the M25 and a source of open water swimming since, well, at least the early 90s. Rescued from almost certain closure due to some spectacular abuse of the facility by SBR in Windsor the venue is definitely the busiest with a record 230 turning up this weekend. The lack of a shower block, an issue that has vexed users for years, looks like it is close to being addressed, mainly through the donations made to the lake's operators, the Disabled Water Ski Association, and the provision of hot drinks and food this year is a considerable improvement on the occasionally patchy service of the past. Resident coach Rick Kiddle offers a variety of courses for individuals and groups. SBR's staff will also bring along anything you need from the shop and wetsuits are available to test from Orca and blueseventy. Opening hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 6am to 9am. More information from the SBR website: www.sbrsports.com

Into its second season of operation is the Open Water Swim facility based at Datchet's Liquid Leisure lake. Although the lake appears a little smaller than Heron at first glance, the buoyed-out courses give GPS accurate 250m, 500m and 750m loops which all interlink to provide a full 1,500m -- all within sight of the clubhouse. Facilities here are a little more up-market with the Lakeside Diner offering cooked-to-order food all day from croissants through to full English and hot drinks available at the bar. Changing rooms with showers, toilets and access to a hot tub and sauna are all laid on and for 2007 they have provided a free wireless internet service for anyone wanting to catch up on work before heading for the office. Top triathlon swimmer Richard Stannard and his team are on hand for coaching at all levels and 2XU wetsuits are available for free trial. OWS are also organising a series of aquathlons throughout the summer with £2,000 worth of kit up for grabs. Opening hours are 6am to 9am on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday plus Bank Holiday Mondays. More information from the Open Water Swim website: www.openwaterswim.co.uk

New boy on the block is Glen Walker who has opened up for three sessions a week at the Princes Club in Ashford. Princes has all the facilities you would expect of a major leisure club with changing, showers and catering and Glen will be offering his Slippery Fish coaching to individuals or small groups. Opening hours are Monday evenings (5pm to dusk) and Thursday and Saturday mornings from 6am to 9am. Check out the facilities on the Princes website: www.princesclub.com